Gerrans to lead Australia at worlds; Sutherland misses the cut

Simon Gerrans will take a crack at the world championship road race in the Netherlands. Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com

Milan-San Remo winner Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) will lead the Australian National Team into the men’s road race at the UCI Road World Championships next week.

Australian national champion Gerrans, who won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec a week ago, headlines a squad for the Limburg worlds that includes former U23 world champion Michael Matthews and Vuelta a España king of the mountains Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge). Also making the selection are Orica sprinter Allan Davis, Lotto-Belisol set-up man Adam Hansen, who rode his third grand tour of the year at the Vuelta a España, Garmin-Sharp classics man Heinrich Haussler, top Sky domestiques Richie Porte and Michael Rogers, and all-arounder David Tanner (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank).

Luke Durbridge and Cameron Meyer (Orica) will start the time trial.

Former world champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) announced earlier this month that he would not compete at the worlds due to lingering health problems. Veteran Stuart O’Grady (Orica) was injured in a crash at the Vattenfall Cyclassics in August and did not make the selection. Boulder, Colorado-based Rory Sutherland (UnitedHealthcare), who won stage 6 of the USA Pro Challenge in August, made the long team for the worlds, but Cycling Australia did not select him for the final roster.